


By which all is revealed (P3xP5)

by AxelsLullaby



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5
Genre: Amnesiac potato, Minato is there but hEY IS HE EVEN ALIVE, NO ONE KNOWS, Pairings yet unknown, Persona 3 Spoilers, Persona 5 Spoilers, SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES FROM START TO FINISH, What am I doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-17 09:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14829903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AxelsLullaby/pseuds/AxelsLullaby
Summary: (SPOILERS! Set after Futaba's palace and onwards) While chasing after a request target, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts stumble upon a person, lost in the depths of Mementos.A young man wakes up in a world he has forgotten, with nothing more than the instinct of seeking after his lost pieces. Twenty-two shards, fragmented memories and nothing more than a name - Minato Arisato.





	1. The Arcana Is

**Chapter** **1:** **The** **Arcana** **is**

It had been a few days since the Phantom Thieves of Hearts had pulled through and stolen Sakura Futaba's heart. Since then, the devastated girl had become their guide and scanner, and helped them through the twisted maze of Mementos. 

They were currently tracking a target for a request, riding the cat-bus Morgana throughout the halls. 

But strangely enough, they had yet to come across any shadow. 

It had made the atmosphere surprisingly eerie – all of them expecting everything to go bad at any moment, even with Futaba's guidance. 

And then, suddenly... 

"Shadow readings straight ahead! It's not our target, but it's a big one!" 

As Morgana turned back to his usual form, the Thieves walked towards the location their scanner told them, and as they went closer and closer, the outline of the shadow became visible. 

It had arms – Many, many of them. Nothing could be distinguished as legs, and the only exception was a single arm holding a blue mask, engraved with a 'I'. Quickly, the Thieves spread around the Shadow in various fighting stances, awaiting their leader's – Joker – orders.  

"Oracle, can you scan it and tell us its weaknesses?" 

Immediately, the scanner set to work, and a few seconds later shouted an 'It's weak to wind!' Before the team went in motion. 

Immediately, Mona picked a more aggressive stance while Queen assumed the role of healer – they naturally swapped whenever an enemy was weak to their affinities.  

"Zoro! Garula!" The cat-who-is-a-human shouted, as his Persona answered his call. The shadow they faced took the spell to the face, collapsing on its numerous hands for several seconds, enough for the other Thieves to jump in and hit it with all their might, effectively weakening it severely.  

It attempted to respond with brute force but failed as another Garula sent it tumbling again, and quickly after it faded into nothingness after a punch to the mask.  

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Panther spoke first, surprised. 

"The readings were pretty bad... But well done, all of you!" Oracle shouted happily from her persona, Necronomicon. 

"Thank you, Oracle." Joker said. "Let's keep goin-" 

Joker didn't get to finish his sentence, as a _quake_ rumbled throughout the grueful maze.  

"What the hell?!" Skull shouted, trying to hold onto the walls. 

And yet as quickly as it came, the quake passed. Nothing could be heard for a few seconds, before a faint, barely audible whisper echoed through the halls. 

 _"Attaining one's dream requires a stern will, and unfailing determination..."_  

The voice was very soft and weak and had there not been absolute quiet none of them would've heard it. 

"What was that?" Queen wondered out loud, deep in thoughts. 

"I don't know, but I don't like it!" Skull answered, looking terrified due to the quake. 

"Let's get our target and get out of here. Mona, if you would?" 

In their hurry, none of them noticed a butterfly, quietly flapping away and into the unknown. 

* * *

 _"The Arcana is..."_  

 **_Where am I?_ **  

 _"… The weight..."_  

 **_What... Happened?_ **  

 _"… Sorrows..."_  

**_How am I here...?_ **

* * *

 

The shadow hadn't put up much of a fight, and the Phantom Thieves were on their way out of Mementos and back to the real world. Tired and worn nonetheless by the pressure of Mementos, some of the thieves were nearly dozing off, when Oracle, still within the protection of her Persona, called to her leader. 

"Joker, there are some weird readings close to us!" 

That caught everyone's attention, so Oracle continued. 

"I don't recognize them, but they're not shadow readings... I think we should investigate!" 

"Alright. Queen, Skull and Panther, with me. Everyone else, watch our backs." 

As they left the Cat-bus, who turned back into a 'cat', the four went ahead and followed Oracle's guidance. She led them to a corner, then another, until eventually she yelled that the readings were right next to them. 

The sight that greeted them, unlike the shadow they had all expected, was a young adult wearing a school uniform. He looked about their age, half of his face covered by long blue bangs. It seemed as though he was asleep, but as unsafe as Mementos was, none of them wished to try and make sure of that.  

"Is that a human? Oracle?" 

"I- I don't know. The readings aren't like ours at all, but they're not a shadow's! If you're gonna get closer, be careful, it- he's really powerful!" 

And yet he looked so peaceful. They almost didn't want to wake him up, but unknown readings meant potentially dangerous ones. After glancing at his fellow thieves and silently acknowledging their thoughts, Joker slowly walked closer, as feather-footed as he could. Eventually he reached the young man, and slowly, carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking. 

"Hey, you there?"  

Slowly, he stirred. He blinked his eyes open, taking time to grow accustomed to the light, as dim as Memento's was, and after a few moments, two silver irises were fixated on Joker. 

"Who- Who are you? Where am I?" 

"That's what we wanted to ask you, actually." Joker said, doing his best to remain impassive.  

The blue-haired teenager opened his mouth to answer, but ended up unable to as an unbearable amount of pain suddenly interrupted all thoughts. He clutched his head and gritted his teeth, hoping for the pain to lessen.  

"Hey- Are you alright?!" Joker called, as the other three behind him rushed close. "Queen, could you try and-?"  

"On it, Joker!" She answered as she removed her mask, summoning her Persona, Johanna, and cast the healing spell Dia on the young man.  

It seemed to take effect, as moments later he seemed to relax a bit. 

"Thank you..." He said weakly, clearly shaken. 

"What was that just now?" Joker asked before any of the others could. 

"I don't know... I just..." The blue-haired teenager seemed confused, as he stood up. He was just a bit smaller than Joker, and unlike any of the Thieves in their costumes, clad in a school uniform that made him look incredibly out of place in Mementos. 

"So, who are you?" The Thieves' leader asked, hoping that he would be able to answer. 

"I... I'm not sure. I can't remember much..."  

Immediately, that drew suspicious looks from the others. 

"I just know my name... I'm... Minato. Minato Arisato." 

Joker looked at the other Thieves, then back at Minato. 

"Do you have any idea how you got in here?" The Thief asked. 

"No... I just remember something I heard before getting here, and then..." He shook his head. 

"What was it?" 

"If I remember correctly... Something about an Arcana...?"  

That caught Joker's attention. Did Arisato have something to do with the Velvet Room? 

"I can't remember anything else." 

That cut all hopes short.  

"Well, Arisato-san. You don't look like an enemy, and you seem lost. Do you want us to show you the way out?" 

The blue-haired teenager took a moment to think about it, then nodded.  

"I'll follow you. Thank you, really." 

Instead of answering, Joker walked back towards the rest of the Thieves, waving to Queen, Skull, Panther and Minato to follow him.  

* * *

Once they reached the top of Mementos and the exit – Not without having enjoyed Minato's surprise when he saw Morgana, and then when the not-a-cat changed into a bus – the Thieves prepared to leave, not without wondering where Minato was in reality.  

"Well, thank you for helping me..." He said, barely loud enough for Joker to hear. 

"We couldn’t just leave you down there. There were only two shadows at all today, but who knows what could've happened?" 

"Well, good luck for... Whatever you'll be doing, I guess."  

"Thank you. And I hope you won't ever end up down here again. It's not a place for people without Personas." Joker said, as the Nav teleported them back to reality. 

And right as they got back... 

 _I am thou, thou art I..._    
_Thou hast_ _acquired_ _a new vow._    
_It shall become_ _the wings of rebellion that_ _breaketh_ _thy chains of captivity._    
_With the birth of the universe Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..._  

A new bond was forged. 

* * *

**_Attaining one's Dreams requires Stern Will and Unfailing Determination._ **


	2. Stern Will and Unfailling Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days later, the Thieves return to Mementos.
> 
> Hearken to the Silent Voice within your Hearts, for it whispers the most profound Wisdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS YOU ALL ;; IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME

**Chapter 2:** **Stern will and unfailing determination**

As the Phantom Thieves of Hearts landed back into the attic of Café Leblanc, Joker immediately made sure that Minato wasn’t with them – They had never been in such a situation before, after all. After confirming he wasn’t there, the Thieves decided to talk a bit.

"So, that Minato guy. How d’you think he got himself in Mementos?" Ryuji was the first to ask.

"I’m not sure." Morgana admitted. "To get in the Metaverse, you need to have the nav. Maybe he has it and activated it by accident?" The not-a-cat supposed.

"In any case, we got him back to the real world, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about." Akira said, and all thieves acknowledged it. 

After that, the others began to go home. Only Futaba stayed behind, and asked her leader;

"Akira, want me to look him up?"

Akira considered it for a moment, but shook his head. 

"No, it should be fine. We didn’t give him any of our names anyway."

"You’re right… Well, see ya later!" Futaba said, before heading back to her computer room of a home as well. 

Had they looked Minato up that day, they would’ve been in for a surprise.

* * *

If he had been expecting to be sent back to the real world, Minato would’ve been disappointed. But a tingling feeling in the back of his mind told him that this weird place potentially filled with monsters was where he belonged.

He had no memories – Or rather, only a very fuzzy one of a woman singing a song that he began to hum as he went back to recklessly exploring.

"Velvet, Velvet, my master has a very long nose…"

While humming, he recalled that the woman had platinum hair.

* * *

Lower in the cursed railways of Mementos, a deep blue butterfly landed. With the letters J and B engraved in its wings, the small creature surrendered to corruption, leading to the creation of another monster.

* * *

A few days had passed since their last excursion to Mementos, and so the Thieves decided that today they would go back.

"I hope there'll be more shadows this time ,Captain Kidd and I need some practice!" Ryuji shouted, too loud as were his habits.

"I swear, Ryuji, one day you’ll get us caught." Ann sighed.

"We have another request from the Phan-site today. Everyone’s ready?" Akira asked, phone in hand.

A few nods, one big grin and approval sounds, and Joker pressed the Nav to lead them to Mementos.

Upon arrival, everything seemed normal again, so Mona quickly turned into a car and to the lower parts they drove. And then…

"Mona, the target's on our right." Oracle called.

Mona didn’t turn.

"Mona?"

No response.

"Morgana?" Joker was worried. "Are you alright?"

The bus's speed increased.

"What’s going on?" Panther asked, watching the outside moving faster and faster.

"Oracle, can you jump out and get to your Persona safely?" Joker asked the Hermit.

"I-I’ll try!" She stammered out, opening one of the doors and letting her Persona catch her as she summoned it. The scanner then chased the cat-bus at high speeds, trying to see what was going on. After a few seconds…

"Joker, something’s forcing him to move!"

"What is it, Oracle?"

"The readings say it’s a shadow! It doesn’t look too powerful, but at this speed, if you crash into anything-!"

"Got it… Any way you could stop Mona?"

"No, not without putting you all at risk… But if you all jump out one by one, I think Necronomicon could catch you!"

"Then let’s try that… You guys go first." Joker stated, leaving no room for protest.

Queen went first, followed by Panther. Skull came right after, followed by Fox, and finally Joker, and they watched as Mona drove straight through a door, bursting it open to reveal the shadow behind it.

It looked like a gigantic woman, sitting on the floor, two letters engraved in her chest and paper-like hair covering the walls. At her feet, a few minor shadows, and Mona, unconscious.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Skull shouted, staring at the giant shadow.

"I don't know, but it's nothing good!" Panther answered, as all Thieves took a fighting stance.

"I'll scan it! But in the meantime, have this!" Oracle shouted from Necronomicon, a green barrier appearing to protect her teammates, right on time to stop a Mabufu.

"Queen, you focus on healing us if something happens. Panther, Skull, on the offensive with me, Fox, take care of the small ones. Let's go!" Joker ordered.

The fight wasn't a hard one – Even though it looked terrifying, the shadow didn't resist much. A few spells, attacks and gunshots were enough to bring her down, scaring away the minor shadows in the process. 

"Well done, everyone. And-" Joker began, but was interrupted by a surprising sight.

A blue butterfly rose from the remains of the shadow, and slowly flew away. 

"Let's follow that thing!" He shouted, to the confusion of his teammates.

"Joker, what's going on?"

The leader of the Thieves remained quiet for a bit, but then spoke. "I don't know. I just feel like we should follow it."

"But Mona's wounded!"

At that, Joker took a moment to think. 

"Alright. Queen, Skull, you stay here to heal and protect Mona. Panther, Fox, Oracle, we follow it."

The three took off running, Necronomicon hovering by as Oracle guided them.

"It's going lower! And- That reading, it's Minato! It's going towards Minato!"

"That guy's still here?!" Panther asked, while Fox pondered.

"Well... It's quite true that he did not enter the Metaverse with us. Perhaps he would need to leave by himself?"

"I don't know, but let's get to him for now!" Joker answered, as the butterfly grew closer to his target.

Minato came in their sight as he slashed a shadow with a sword that looked awfully similar to the one they'd find now and then in Memento, ruthlessly defeating the fiend.

"Minato!" The four thieves shouted, catching his attention. He turned, saw the butterfly-

And then, as it got close to Minato, the butterfly burst in a thousand small lights of different colours, all of them converging towards the blue-haired man.

As the lights disappeared into him, he blinked, and then spoke, more to himself than to the thieves.

"I remember... Part of my memories – Some of them returned!"

That took the Thieves by surprise – Not only had Minato remained here, but it seemed that a _butterfly_ that spawned from a shadow, of all things, had just given him back some of his memories.

"I was – I was in the Sea of Souls for some reason..."

"The Sea of what? You don't make much sense." Oracle stated, still quite wary about the butterfly.

"I'm not quite sure... I just remember that it's where I was..."

"We can talk about that in a safer place. Come with us, please." Joker almost demanded, although Minato didn't have any reason to refuse.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling us that when that butterfly came in contact with you... It exploded and... Gave you back your memories? How does that even work?" Queen asked, while half the others just looked at the blue-haired teen with weird faces.

"I don't know, really. It just happened."

An awkward silence settled on the Thieves plus Minato, who were also waiting for Mona to wake up so that they could drive back. 

"In any case... Minato, you weren't sent back to the real world with us last time, right?"

He nodded in response, remembering how awkward it was to just be standing there, in a fully unknown place, with his only clue disappearing right on front of his eyes without even meaning to.

"Do you have a phone?"

At that, Minato instinctively pat his back pockets, only for it to be followed by disappointment.

"Looks like I don't. The thing to leave this world is on yours, right?" He wondered, and Joker nodded.

"Wait- Dude, how did you even get in here without the Nav?" Skull asked.

"Maybe I just lost my phone. I mean, even that weapon, I only found it laying around... Even though I definitely know how to use it."

At that, some of the Thieves perked up.

"You know how to fight?"

"At least I think so. I mean, I didn't really have any trouble against that shadow..."

Joker took a moment to look at all thieves one by one, then back at Minato.

"Then would you like to help us?"

Minato looked back at him, but just gave him an odd look.

"I don't even know what you guys do." He deadpanned.

"We steal Hearts!" Panther said, almost joyfully. "We turn corrupt people to Justice and make them look at what they did!"

"That... Sounds a little weird..."

"What Panther is saying is that we enter corrupted adults' Palaces and steal their corrupted desires, which makes them feel guilty about their actions. There are some... Exceptional cases-" He stole a glance towards Futaba "- But we mostly bring justice to those who try to avoid it."

"And perhaps you will awaken to a Persona, too."

Hearing that word, Minato immediately reacted. He wouldn't have been able to describe the feeling – Like both a strong pull and a surge of power, like feeling invincible – but it surged through his veins like adrenaline.

"Persona..." He whispered to himself, tasting the word.

Deep in the recesses of his mind, he could hear a few words – Not from himself, but from something else. Words he felt like he knew so well...

_Thou art I... I am Thou._

He didn't remember it, but he knew it was _his_.

"I'll... Help you guys, if you want."

* * *

**_The Silent Voice within one's Heart whispers the most profound Wisdom._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you guys prefer short chapters every few days or big chapters with random-ass update days?  
> (PS: Comments are huge motivation for me. Thank you very much for commenting ;w;

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT AM I DOING  
> (PS: Might need a beta, both because i have no idea how to english and to make sure it doesn't go wayyyyy too far out of Persona lore/respect some stuff from it)


End file.
